Warm-up drill: This game has been circled on the N.C. State calendar since the schedule was released many months ago. If the Wolfpack are to become ACC champs, they pretty much have to beat Duke on Saturday. The storyline changed a bit this week, though, when Duke forward Ryan Kelly re-injured his right foot and will miss a couple weeks. Kelly’s inside-out versatility is a huge reason why Duke is so hard to defend. His minutes likely will go to either Josh Hairston or Amile Jefferson, but neither is much of an offensive threat.

Inside stat: 17.5 — In N.C. State’s two losses this season—to Oklahoma State and Michigan—senior forward Richard Howell averaged just 17.5 minutes per game because of foul trouble. Against Oklahoma State, he fouled out in 16 minutes with just six points and three rebounds; against Michigan, he had good production (12 points and five rebounds), but played just 19 minutes before fouling out. This isn’t any big revelation, but Howell must be on the floor for N.C. State to beat Duke.

Warm-up drill: Seriously, find a two-TV setup somewhere for these great noon games Saturday. There hasn’t been a more surprising team this season than the Golden Gophers, who already have thumped Michigan State and Illinois in Big Ten play. Point guard Andre Hollins, big man Rodney Williams and shooting guard Joe Coleman have taken turns being the star for Tubby Smith’s team, and the most heralded player on the roster—Trevor Mbakwe—turned in his best game of the season Wednesday at Illinois (19 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes). The Hoosiers, on the other hand, have played only one solid team (Iowa) since the middle of December. If there’s even a moment’s adjustment to the Gophers’ strength and talent, IU could well fall into an early hole.

Inside stat: 72.0 — Indiana guard Victor Oladipo is an overlooked star. The 6-5 junior is shooting 72 percent (67-for-93) on his 2-point attempts and 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from beyond the 3-point arc; combine those two numbers and Oladipo leads the nation in effective field-goal percentage. Add to that his lock-down defense on the perimeter, and he’s a huge reason the Hoosiers will stay near the top of the polls all season.

Warm-up drill: This game has lost a bit of luster the last few weeks. Michigan still is undefeated and looking like a favorite to win the national championship, but Ohio State’s uninspiring performance in a 19-point loss at Illinois last weekend doesn’t bode well heading into this matchup. To stay with the Wolverines, the Buckeyes must produce a much better offensive performance than they have against elite opponents this season. In losses to Duke, Kansas and Illinois, Ohio State has shot a combined 36.9 percent from 2-point range (45-for-122) and 25.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (18-for-71).

Inside stat: 52.3 — Nik Stauskas has hit 46-of-88 3-point attempts, an insane 52.3 percent clip. That’s second in the country among high-volume 3-point shooters (2.0 or more made 3s a game), behind only Richmond’s Darien Brothers (53.6).

Warm-up drill: Opening night of the Mountain West schedule Wednesday produced countless exciting moments across the league. This game should be no different. Colorado State had a two-game hiccup in early December, but the Rams are a veteran team and should handle the road environment. There are all sorts of ways to point out the impact San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin has on a game, and here’s one of the more impressive ones: The 6-5 wing is averaging a double-double, at 17.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He already has had seven games this season with at least a dozen rebounds; his defensive rebounding percentage of 30.7 is second in the nation.

Inside stat: 43.7 — Speaking of rebounding, the Rams are third in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, pulling down an impressive 43.7 percent of their missed shots. That leads to the easy scoring opportunities and extended possessions necessary to win road games.

Warm-up drill: This could be a massively entertaining game. The Rebels—out to an unexpected 12-2 start to the season—are 11th in the country in adjusted tempo with an average of 73.2 possessions per game, albeit against a less-than-stellar schedule. The visiting Tigers, who will be playing their first road game in their new conference, don’t always push the tempo but are not adverse to the idea. Considering passing marvel Phil Pressey runs the offense, that’s not much of a surprise. Missouri is shorthanded heading into this game; big man Laurence Bowers will miss this one and at least one other with a sprained MCL, and reserve big man Tony Criswell will be a game-time decision with a broken finger.

Inside stat: .550 — The Rebels rank fifth in the country in block percentage (meaning they block 5.5 percent of every shot attempt by the opponent). Reginald Johnson and Aaron Jones are both in the top 35 in individual block percentages, at .108 and .105 respectively.

OVERTIME

North Carolina at Florida State, Saturday, 2 p.m. (ESPN). UNC fans are trying not to panic after their team’s 0-2 start in the ACC, but a trip to Tallahassee—where the Heels were crushed last season—won’t quell their fears. The Seminoles, on the other hand, are 2-0 in league play with both wins on the road.

No. 4 Arizona at Oregon State, Saturday, 8 p.m. (ESPNU). OK, that first loss is out of the way for Arizona. The young Wildcats never were going to finish this season undefeated, so maybe Thursday night’s loss at Oregon was a good thing. What’s not a good thing, though, is an 0-fer trip through the state.

No. 14 Butler at Dayton, Saturday, 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network). Apparently, Dayton was chosen to wave the “Welcome to the A-10” banner; the Flyers opened Atlantic 10 play on the road at conference newbie VCU on Wednesday and they play host to newbie Butler in their second league game.

No. 12 Illinois at Wisconsin, Saturday, 2:15 p.m. (Big Ten Network). At this point, who knows what to expect from the Illini? They live and die by the 3-pointer, and the Badgers rank just No. 132 in 3-point defense.

Connecticut at No. 17 Notre Dame, Saturday, 2 p.m. (Big East Network, espn3.com). This is the start of a really tough three-game stretch for the Huskies—at Notre Dame, vs. Louisville and at Pitt. UConn won at Notre Dame last season, the only Big East school the past two seasons to win in South Bend.

No. 18 Kansas State at West Virginia, Saturday, 1:30 p.m. (Big 12 Network, espn3.com). The all-rugged game might not feature much offensive touch, but if Rodney McGruder plays at all like he did against Oklahoma State last weekend the Wildcats win.

No. 19 Georgetown at St. John’s, Saturday, 11 a.m. (ESPN2). The Hoyas dropped a close one at Marquette to open Big East play and then got blown out at home by Pitt. Playing against a crazy-athletic St. John’s team might not be the best matchup for Georgetown right now.

UCLA at Colorado, Saturday, 2 p.m. (Pac-12 Network). Both teams survived close calls Thursday night—UCLA by four at Utah and Colorado by six vs. USC. UCLA is undefeated in the Pac-12, but Colorado must win to avoid falling to 1-3 in the conference.

Saint Louis at Temple, Saturday, 6 p.m. (ESPNU). It has been an up-and-down season for Temple. The Owls beat Syracuse and narrowly missed pulling off an upset at Kansas but lost at home to Canisius and lost to Xavier on Thursday. If the Billikens can keep Khalif Wyatt in check, they have a good chance of reaching 2-0 in A-10 play.

Washington at Stanford, Saturday, 11 p.m. (Fox Sports Net). The Huskies weren’t given any favors at the start of their Pac-12 schedule—three consecutive road games—but they’ve made the most of the situation. They beat rival Washington State and then handled a good Cal team (62-47 victory), so they enter this game with plenty of confidence.

Maryland at Miami (Fla.), Sunday, 8 p.m. (ESPNU). The Hurricanes are a surprising 2-0 in ACC play after rolling over North Carolina in the second half Thursday. Big men Kenny Kadji and Julian Gamble combined for 32 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots against the Tar Heels.

Arizona State at Oregon, Sunday, 9 p.m. (Pac-12 Network). The Ducks are riding high, fresh off their biggest win since Aaron Brooks and his 2007 squad reached the Elite Eight, a five-point victory against previously undefeated Arizona.